Pad-folding machine

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for automatically folding a pad while a conveyor is moving the pad along the longitudinal axis of a base. The apparatus includes a number of guides mounted on the base to fold the pad in half and to overlap one of the end tabs of the pad across the folded ends of the pad.

[ 1 Jan. 18,1972

nited States Patent 2 x2 66 6 00 0 77/7 2202 "7 m2 m nu r mm." m m bfryt .mmaw p n. SGSfi 6444 3666 9999 1111 2 55 1 90007 8238 93 56 -4 6 332333 [541 PAD-FOLDING MACHINE [72] Inventor: Curt G. Jun, Box 1121,Boynton Beach,

Fla. 33435 22 F'ld: A .21,1970 1 FOREIGNPATENTSORAPPLICATIONS 848,2349/1960 GreatBritain...........................270/86 1,117,141 11/1961Germany.................................270/86 [21] App]. No.:

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 763,718,Sept. 30, 1968,

Primary ExaminerLawrence Charles Attorney-Wheeler, House 84 Wheelerabandoned.

a e e mrmm m .ldu mm m .m n w H Wm H w M .w m mno m mn a m a wd adn T PC 6cm A mmn. R moo e H m.mw m a M wmm wm em n am ar. e oe i v h .m m wWORM. t 86% abm Mmhm .ww m 7 mmm w UDPam 622 826 m z a W5 .69 B3 m9 m6 8l 0 "7 m2 UNITED STATES P ATENTS of the end tabs of the pad across thefolded ends of the pad.

1,655,491 1/1928 Blake..................... ....270/67 X7Claims,6Drawing Figures PATENTEU m r s 372 SHEET 2 BF 2 mvewrba Caer-6. Jam

PAID-FOLDING MACHINE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Thisapplication is a continuation of my copending US. Pat. application Ser.No. 763,718 filed Sept. 30, 1968, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pads of the type contemplated herein aretypically those used in sanitary napkins, and particularly thoseincorporated in maternity packs as hospital O.B. pads. A filler or padis encased within a wrapper with the end tabs extending outwardly fromeach end of the body of the napkin pad. Generally the napkin pad ispackaged as it is received from the napkin machine. In the case of an0.3. pad, the pad is folded in half prior to packaging, in order that aneater package can be formed, especially if other items such as cottonballs, tissues, etc., are to be included in the package. Folding of thepad has generally been done by hand. This increases labor costs and istime consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention disclosed herein provides anapparatus for automatically folding a pad such as a sanitary napkin orB. pad and overlapping one of the end tabs of the pad preparatory topackaging. More specifically, the pads when received from a napkinmachine are flat with end tabs extending outward from each end of themain body of the napkin. These napkin pads are fed onto the base of theapparatus of this invention transversely to the intended direction ofmotion of the napkin on the base. As the napkin is fed onto the base,the lead end tab is automatically underwrapped against the body of thenapkin. As the napkin is moved across the base, the lead end tab is heatsealed to the main body and the main body of the pad is folded upwardaround a centrally disposed wire guide to an upright position by a pairof upwardly rearwardly converging wire guides. After the pad has beenfolded to the upright position, the trailing end tab is overlappedacross the folded ends of the pad and into abutting engagement with thelead end tab by a crossover guide mounted on the base. As the now foldedand overwrapped napkin approaches the end of the conveyor, the napkin ismoved from the upright position to a horizontal position on the basepreparatory to movement into an automatic packaging machine.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sanitary napkin with a section brokenaway.

FIG. 3 is taken on line 3-3 of FIG. ll showing the heat-sealingarrangement for securing one of the end tabs to the body of the napkin.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are taken on lines 44 and 5-5, respectively, of FIG. 1showing the positions of the napkin as the napkin is folded in half.

FIGS. 6, 7, 3 and 9 are taken on lines 6-6, 7--7, 8-8 and 9--9,respectively, of FIG. 1 showing the progressive overwrapping of thetrailing end tabs of the napkin as the napkin moves through theapparatus.

FIGS. 10 and II are taken on lines 10--10 and 11-11 of FIG. 1 showingthe guide for moving the folded napkin from the upright to thehorizontal position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Although the disclosurehereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merelyexemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specificstructure. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims appendedhereto.

Sanitary napkins 5 of the type which are to be folded by the apparatus10 of this invention, generally include a filler pad 12 and a wrapper 14as shown in FIG. 2. The wrapper 14 may consist of a nonwoven ornonwoven-polyethylene material bonded at the seam 16 and cut to provideend tabs 18a and 18!: extending outward from each end of the main body20 of the pad. The end tabs l8 are thinner than the main body 20 of thepad. These sanitary napkins 5 are automatically wrapped in a wrappingmachine and are moved longitudinally onto the apparatus 10 where theyare automatically folded in half and the end flaps 18a and 18b areoverwrapped and then conveyed to an automatic packaging machine.

More specifically, referring to FIGQ I anapkin 5 is shown being movedfrom a napkin machine 22 (partly shown in FIG. 1) onto the base or frame24 of the apparatus 10 with the lead end tab 184 depending downward fromthe main body 20 of the napkin. As the main body 20 is pushed onto thebase, the lead tab is folded under the body 20 of the napkin 5 by theengagement of the lead tab with the edge of the base. The napkin 5 ismoved transversely across the base to a position in alignment with afirst conveyor 26 which includes a number of dogs 28 secured to endlesschains 29 and extending upward through slots 30 in the base to initiallymove the napkin across a portion of the base.

Means are'provided on the base to heat-seal the lead tab 18a to the mainbody 20 as the napkin is moved by the first conveyor 26. This meansincludes a heat-sealing assembly 32 having a heater roller 34 and apressure roller 36 positioned to roll across the end of the napkin toheat-seal the lead tab 180 to the body 20 of the napkin. The heater roll34 is heated by means of an electric heater generally shown at 38.

Means are also provided for folding the main body 20 of the napkin inhalf as the napkin is moved across the base 24 by the conveyor 26. Thismeans includes a wire guide 40 which is suspended by supports (notshown) over the base 24 intermediate the dogs 28 on the conveyor 26 in aposition to engage the center of the napkin 5. The end 4210f the wireguide 40 is bent upward slightly to aid in guiding the napkin under thewire guide. The napkin 5 is folded around the guide 40 by means of wireguides 44 and 46 positioned to underlie the ends of the main body 20 ofthe napkin 5 asseen in FIGS 4 and 5. The wire guides 44 and 46 convergeupwardly and rearwardly of the base 24 to a parallel relation over asecond conveyor 48 having a pair of endless belts 45 positioned onupright rollers on the base 24. The motion of the napkin across the wireguides will fold the main body 20 of the napkin around the wire guide 40with the folded main body portions in abutting engagement to juxtaposethe ends of the main body in an upright position. The conveyor 26 willpush the napkin into the conveyor 48.

Means are provided to overwrap the trailing end tab 18b across thefolded ends of the main body 20 while the napkin is being moved by theconveyor 48. This means includes a fourth wire guide 50 which ispositioned to engage the underside of one end of the main bodyof thenapkin and extends upward over the top of the folded ends of the napkinand downward on the opposite side. More specifically, referring to FIGS.6 through 10 the wire guide 50 is shown initially (FIG. 5) on the leftside of the napkin spaced below the end tab 18b. As the napkin is movedby the conveyor 48, the napkin will ride up on the wire guide 50 untilthe wire guide 50 underlies the end tab 18b (FIG. 6). In FIG. 7 the wireguide 50 is shown positioned above the folded napkin with the end tab18b partly wrapped across the top of the napkin 5 and in FIG. 8 the wireguide 50 is shown on the left side of the napkin with the end tab 18bflipped over the top of the napkin in a position to be pushed intoabutting engagement with the lead tab 18a. In the final position shownin FIG. 9 the wire guide 50 is positioned against the left side of thenapkin with the end tabs 18a and 18b pressed against the side of thefolded napkin. The conveyor 48 will move the folded napkin into aconveyor 52 having a number of dogs 55 extending upward through slots 57provided at the end of the base 24.

Means are provided near the end of the conveyor 48 to tip the foldednapkin 5 from the upright position to a horizontal position on the base24 for delivery by a conveyor 52 to a packaging machine. This meansincludes a fifth wire guide 54 which is positioned to engage the leftside of the napkin 5 while in the upright position in the conveyor 48(FIG. and extends downwardly across the center of the conveyor 52 to tipthe napkin to a horizontal position (FIG. 1 1). More specifically, asseen in FIG. 10, the wire guide 54 is shown at the end of the conveyor48 in a position to engage the left side of the upright napkin. As thenapkin is moved from conveyor 48 to conveyor 52, the napkin 5 is pushedto the horizontal position (FIG. 11) by the crossover section 56 of theguide 54. The folded end of the napkin is guided on the base 24 by meansof an L-bracket 60 to properly align the folded napkin prior to deliveryto a packaging machine.

Although the guides 44, 46, 50 and 56 have been shown separately, itshould be understood that they can be combined in various ways to formintegral units to accomplish the same result.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for folding an elongated pad which has a relatively thickbody and relatively thin end tabs extending from the ends of the body,said apparatus comprising conveyor means for moving the pad in adirection transverse to its elongation, folding means for folding thepad longitudinally in half about the center of the body and transverselyof the direction of its movement along the conveyor to juxtapose theends of the body, wrapping means for wrapping one of the end tabs acrossthe juxtaposed ends of the folded body and against the side of thefolded body, means for folding the other end tab flat against that sideof the body which is exposed after the body has been foldedlongitudinally about its center, said wrapping means comprising means towrap said one end tab against said other end tab to dispose both endtabs at the same side of the folded pad body, and means for attachingsaid other end tab to the body before said one end tab is wrappedthereagainst.

2. Apparatus for folding an elongated pad which has a relatively thickbody and relative thin end tabs extending from the ends of the body,said apparatus comprising conveyor means for moving the pad in adirection transverse to its elongation, folding means for folding thepad longitudinally in half about the center of the body and transverselyof the direction of its movement along the conveyor to juxtapose theends of the body, wrapping means for wrapping one of the end tabs acrossthe juxtaposed ends of the folded body and against the side of thefolded body, said folding means comprising elongated padfolding guidesagainst which the pad body is pressed by the conveyor means, one of saidguides engaging the pad body at its center and the other of said guidesrespectively engaging the pad body at points remote from its center.

3. Apparatus for folding an elongated pad which has a relatively thickbody and relatively thin end tabs extending from the ends of the body,said apparatus comprising conveyor means for moving the pad in adirection transverse to its elongation, folding means for folding thepad longitudinally in half about the center of the body and transverselyof the direction of its movement along the conveyor to juxtapose theends of the body, wrapping means for wrapping one of the end tabs acrossthe juxtaposed ends of the folded body and against the side of thefolded body, said folding means comprising means for lifting the ends ofthe pad body about its center to an upright position in the course offolding the body in half, thus to expose the sides of the pad body.

4. The apparatus of claim3 in combination with means for turning the padfrom its upright position to a horizontal position after said one endtab has been wrapped across the juxtaposed ends of the folded body andagainst the side of the folded pad body.

5. Apparatus for folding a pad prior to packaging, said apparatuscomprising:

a base;

means for conveying a pad positioned transversely to its direction ofmotion;

a first guide positioned to engage the center of the pad;

second and third guides respectively positioned to engage the undersideof the pad to wrap the pad about the first guide;

a fourth guide positioned to engage the underside of one of the end tabson the pad and overwrap the end tab to the opposite side of the foldedpad and into abutting engagement with the end tab on the other end ofthe pad.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said first, second, and thirdguides lift the pad to an upright position, in combination with a fifthguide to turn the upright pad to a horizontal position for movement to apackaging machine, a

7. The method of folding a pad having end tabs extending outwardly fromeach end of the pad, said method comprising the steps of:

folding one end tab under the main body of the pad as the pad is fedonto a base to a position transverse to the direction of motion of thepad on the base;

moving the pad longitudinally along the base;

heat sealing the said one tab;

folding the pad in half; and

overlapping the other end tab of the pad over the ends of the folded padas the pad is moved along the base.

1. Apparatus for folding an elongated pad which has a relatively thickbody and relatively thin end tabs extending from the ends of the body,said apparatus comprising conveyor means for moving the pad in adirection transverse to its elongation, folding means for folding thepad longitudinally in half about the center of the body and transverselyof the direction of its movement along the conveyor to juxtapose theends of the body, wrapping means for wrapping one of the end tabs acrossthe juxtaposed ends of the folded body and against the side of thefolded body, means for folding the other end tab flat against that sideof the body which is exposed after the body has been foldedlongitudinally about its center, said wrapping means comprising means towrap said one end tab against said other end tab to dispose both endtabs at the same side of the folded pad body, and means for attachingsaid other end tab to the body before said one end tab is wrappedthereagainst.
 2. Apparatus for folding an elongated pad which has arelatively thick body and relative thin end tabs extending from the endsof the body, said apparatus comprising conveyor means for moving the padin a direction transverse to its elongation, folding means for foldingthe pad longitudinally in half about the center of the body andtransversely of the direction of its movement along the conveyor tojuxtapose the ends of the body, wrapping means for wrapping one of theend tabs across the juxtaposed ends of the folded body and against theside of the folded body, said folding means comprising elongatedpad-folding guides against which the pad body is pressed by the conveyormeans, one of said guides engaging the pad body at its center and theother of said guides respectively engaging the pad body at points remotefrom its center.
 3. Apparatus for folding an elongated pad which has arelatively thick body and relatively thin end tabs extending from theendS of the body, said apparatus comprising conveyor means for movingthe pad in a direction transverse to its elongation, folding means forfolding the pad longitudinally in half about the center of the body andtransversely of the direction of its movement along the conveyor tojuxtapose the ends of the body, wrapping means for wrapping one of theend tabs across the juxtaposed ends of the folded body and against theside of the folded body, said folding means comprising means for liftingthe ends of the pad body about its center to an upright position in thecourse of folding the body in half, thus to expose the sides of the padbody.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 in combination with means for turningthe pad from its upright position to a horizontal position after saidone end tab has been wrapped across the juxtaposed ends of the foldedbody and against the side of the folded pad body.
 5. Apparatus forfolding a pad prior to packaging, said apparatus comprising: a base;means for conveying a pad positioned transversely to its direction ofmotion; a first guide positioned to engage the center of the pad; secondand third guides respectively positioned to engage the underside of thepad to wrap the pad about the first guide; a fourth guide positioned toengage the underside of one of the end tabs on the pad and overwrap theend tab to the opposite side of the folded pad and into abuttingengagement with the end tab on the other end of the pad.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5 in which said first, second, and third guides liftthe pad to an upright position, in combination with a fifth guide toturn the upright pad to a horizontal position for movement to apackaging machine.
 7. The method of folding a pad having end tabsextending outwardly from each end of the pad, said method comprising thesteps of: folding one end tab under the main body of the pad as the padis fed onto a base to a position transverse to the direction of motionof the pad on the base; moving the pad longitudinally along the base;heat sealing the said one tab; folding the pad in half; and overlappingthe other end tab of the pad over the ends of the folded pad as the padis moved along the base.